Mongabay · Natuur

Ebola Outbreak Exacerbates Food Insecurity Crisis in DRC

A recent Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which has claimed over 3,000 lives, is occurring alongside a severe food insecurity crisis affecting approximately 26 million people in the region. This overlap significantly complicates efforts to control the virus.

The Bundibugyo strain of Ebola has led to over 3,000 deaths and twice as many reported cases in the DRC. Analysts highlight that a concurrent food insecurity crisis, impacting around 26 million people, exacerbates the spread and lethality of the virus. "Hunger and disease are old companions," stated WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, emphasizing that malnutrition weakens individuals, making them more susceptible to infections.

Ebola compromises the immune system, hindering recovery. Adequate nutrition supports immune response and enhances medication efficacy, accelerating healing, according to Grace Kwakezime Mongame of the World Food Programme (WFP). Food scarcity can force displacement, increasing disease transmission risks. "Since the disease is transmitted through contact, moving around risks creating new layers of infection; the aim is to keep people within a single environment," Kwakezime noted.

The WFP also provides food to families of patients, particularly dependent children, enabling the sick to rest without needing to leave isolation to care for their relatives. The necessity for food can also drive people to hunt in areas like Virunga National Park, raising the risk of zoonotic transmission to humans and wildlife, including endangered gorillas. Historically, Ebola has caused significant wildlife die-offs, such as an estimated 5,000 western lowland gorillas in the Republic of Congo between 2002 and 2003.

Ebola, a zoonotic disease, initially spreads from wildlife to humans through contact with infected bodily fluids or consumption of infected meat. However, "bushmeat" is a crucial protein source for many, and its importance for livelihoods, food security, medicine, trade, and survival must be considered. Researchers caution that focusing solely on bushmeat hunting risks stigmatizing communities without acknowledging the underlying poverty, insecurity, displacement, and limited alternatives that influence their decisions.

Dr. Eddy Kambale of Gorilla Doctors suggests that the government must foster economic opportunities and agricultural practices outside national parks to lessen community dependence on forest resources. He also stressed the interdependence of human and wildlife health, stating that an imbalance threatens life on the planet.

AI-samenvatting op basis van de bron.